How to Show / Add Accidentally Removed Bluetooth Icon in System Tray in Windows?

Today we are going to talk about one of the most annoying problem in Windows! As we know Windows shows "Bluetooth" icon in system tray and if you click on it or right-click on it, it shows a menu. The problem starts when "Remove Icon" option is listed at the bottom of the menu and you click on it accidentally and BOOM!!! The bluetooth icon disappears from system tray and you don't find any option to bring it back.

IMO "Remove Icon" should not be listed at the bottom as there are very high chances a user will click on that option accidentally as most of the time the last option in a menu opens the icon Settings. And the worst thing is that it even doesn't ask for any kind of confirmation so that user can cancel his action.

Anyway, if you are also among those frustrated users and have accidentally removed the icon from system tray, here are 2 simple methods to bring the icon back:

Method 1: Using Hidden Bluetooth Settings Window

Method 2: Using Registry Editor

Method 1: Using Hidden Bluetooth Settings Window

If you look into Control Panel to change Bluetooth settings, you'll not find it. You can follow following simple steps to access it:

1. Type bluetooth in Start Menu searchbox and it'll show a few entries in result set. Click on "Change Bluetooth Settings" entry.

2. It'll open Bluetooth Settings window where you can enable bluetooth icon by selecting "Show the Bluetooth icon in the notification area" option and apply it.

3. That's it. It'll restore the bluetooth icon in system tray.

Method 2: Using Registry Editor

If the above method doesn't work for you, you can follow a very simple registry trick to bring it back:

1. Type regedit in RUN or Start Menu searchbox and press Enter. It'll open Registry Editor.

2. Now go to following key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Bluetooth

3. In right-side pane, look for a DWORD value Notification Area Icon. It would be set to 0. Either set its value to 1 or delete it.

4. That's it. Restart or log off your system and bluetooth icon will be back in system tray.

Comments

thank you very mch :) it helped me .... the first method worked for me ...

chey

Thank you!! I've been searching for days and trying everything!! Totally worked!!

sumon

thank u very much bro... i m also the victim of the same problem...& after looking into the solution its just piece of cake :)) but the thing i didn't understand that why the bluetooth setting thing is not showing up in control panel in spite of being shown in start menu!!

Hans43

Thank u... I had no idea how to resolve this issue.. And solution was so simple. Thanx once again.

Karen

THANK YOU.

I accidentally deleted this, exactly as described, and then tried to re-add it through the notifications setting, via a Bluetooth shortcut, etc. None of that worked.

But method #1 did. Thanks!

JZ

Thank you so much, I can't believe a simple thing as this one would ruin my whole day. The option to hide bluetooth icon shouldn't even be there. Anyway thanks for resolving my problem!

Srinivas G

Hi,

Here is the detailed step by step for doing Method 1 in Windows 8 Pro:

1. Open Control Panel
2. Goto Network and Internet
3. Goto Network Connections
4. You will find something called Bluetooth Network Connection - Right Click on it and select Properties
5. Click on Bluetooth Tab (next to networking)
6. Click Bluetooth Settings link
7. In Bluetooth Settings window and under Options Tab - Check - Show the bluetooth icon in the notification area.
8. Click Apply and OK
9. You are done.

Thanks,
Srinivas G

Gulzar

Thanks, my problem is solved by following the method # 2

Alu Parmar

A Big Bunch Of Thanx.............

laila

thanks my problem have solved by method one
thnxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Tawny Brown-Warren

I GREATLY appreciate this helpful tidbit, as method two resolved my issue. I searched and tried different suggestions from the "experts", Window Support website two hours. You helped me solve this issue in two minutes, using clear and succinct instructions. I am adding your website to my "Favorites!

akash

thanks first method worked for me.

Shoukat Ali

Thanks Sir to give this suggestion it helped me to decrease my stress

Noman

Thank you so so much.....
It's been very helpful to me....
The 2nd method helps me very much....
thanx again....

Thong

Thanks for your help. This has been so frustrating. Without the icon, it was hard to know if my Bluetooth devices were connected without clicking extra windows. Thank again.

Anjali Thakur

Thank u so much... the first method worked for me...problem sloved...huh...!!!

Langy

Thank you so much u really did take me out of my misery

jose

Thank u I had broken my head you save me time.

Lisa

I was starting to panic for a while. Thanks. The first method really helped.

Deepak Choudhary

Me: victim of this accident!

Thanks Vishal, Your first tweak helped me. :)

fecksman dj

Owh tnx method 1 did save my life it works nw I have my nofication icon back thnx....

Simon

Thanks method 2 worked for me. Up until then so frustrated just because I clicked in error!

ram

thank u method 2 is help full for me

Arun singh

Thanx brother... Otherwise i will format my pc.

Nir

Many thanks, you saved me

Vishmu

Thanks bro

srinivas

method 1 is very simple, and got my bluetooth icon back. thanks alot

doesntmatteritworkshaha

THANK YOU. PROBLEM SOLVED.

amit kumar

thanks, awesome trick

Nayab

Thank you very very much Srinivas G.
You have helped me a lot to fix this problem. A big thanks you. :)

jean

Thanks it works!

Harbir

thx it worked

Youngblood

Thanks for retoring my bluetooth icon for. thanks a lot

TheAslan

You have any idea where bluetooth icon is located?

VG

^^ Check bthprops.cpl file.

Lauren

Thank you so much! I was having problems with this but with your quick, easy instructions I've now got my Bluetooth icon back again :D

David Bay

Thanks a lot. I was tearing my hair out over this. So simple. Cheers

Bismark

thanks man
method #2 works like magic

Calin

Thank you! Mothod 1 works for me!

Bernard Koech

Thanks a million times!!!!!!!!!

Farrux0777

Thank u very much. Its very very useful information. And method 1 is working for me.) Thank u all.

Prashanna

thanks bro...
the first one helped me.... : )

Mubarak Abdul hakkim

Really usefull...Thanks a lot..

deepak

thank a lot frnd... :) really useful for me...

Abey

Thanks bro

John gospodarek

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Bluetooth
I go from appearance to color. No bluetooth

chamike

very very thank you. thank you sooooooo much.
now show again removed Bluetooth icon on task bar.

brijeshkumar

thanks dude,,,its really nice to see that someone helping to everyone......keeep it up dude..god bless you....

iAN

Great. Thanks a lot :)

liz

after searching ages THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH for this answer. method 2 worked for me

Hsu Myat

none of them doesn't work for me .. I tried to find other method & I fond the solution.
1. go to control panel & open system
2. click device manager and double click bluetooth radios.
3. click the bluetooth (dell wireless bluetooth or something like that) .
After step 3 bluetooth tray will appear in task bar . drag & put into show hidden icon menu.

Anish

Thanks

Mostafa

thanks, 2nd method works

chaks

Awesome!

Walter

Thanks very much. I used the first method and it worked like charm.

Chandan

Both the method is not help me to get back blutooth icon in my tray

Pilot

Accident happens, luckily your post is here to rescue. First method worked for me. Thanks :)

ashish gupta

hey the Bluetooth icon icon is restored but the settings is not opening when i right click on the Bluetooth icon and click open settings... what should i do? please help,........

Ranjeev Mishra

The blue tooth device is showing on my device manager but no Bluetooth folder under users in Registry. Since this article got you so much of appreciation, can you please update this for Windows 8.1?

watermelon

Thank you, thank you, thank you very much! Like others, I accidentally removed my bluetooth icon from the system tray and was very frustrated that I couldn't figure out how to put it back immediately. Thank you so much for this very helpful guide!

Lily

Thank you sooo much! I didn't even accidentally remove the icon, it just randomly disappeared from the taskbar (I suspect it may have been after Windows updates). Your helpful advice saved me the headache of doing a full system restore.

szar

solved in 5 seconds method 1... thanks to clear instructions. And learned a new trick to make searches easier!

Ting-Ting

Thank you so much! I was going mad with this!

Ferko

Thank you!

vinay

THANK YOU SOO MUCH

Velmurugan

Thank you so much...

sagar

It was really helpful..... I salute you dude

xpin

thanks a lot!! mwah.. ^_^

Jami

Tried both but still won't work....Notification Area icon under Registry editor for Bluetooth is already set to 1 but no result when I restart it. Please Help!

Shawn

Neither worked for me,
Bluetooth setting are not shown in any of these locations, This has been the case MOST of the time since I bought my dell xps. drivers are updated, bluetooth icons in settings and regedit only occasionally show up. extremely frustrating as every single fix asks me to click on a setting button that for me almost never exists.

Jonathan

Thanks for your help, I tried the first one and it worked. if you have an Windows 8, as there are not a Windows start Menu, just go through "search..." on the research bar, then type the concerning instruction.

DeGreat

method 1 worked for me

Brian

Worked like a charm, thanks a bunch :)

bill

sweetmajeesus! thanks!!!

Alyian

cool wow thanks very very very much

Raj

thanks a lot buddy... thumbs up..

IDL

Thanks buddy realy its very helpful

Lekan

Anyone else accidentally do this because the Bluetooth icon looks like the steam icon.

You are a f**king genius man.
Thanks a lot for that method one which smoothly worked for me bro. Thanks a lot again very much.
i was so so worried for this thing..

Krishna

None of the method work for me, Bluetooth option is missing in method 2, and no setting for Bluetooth in method 1, I have a Bluetooth mouse, and I'm trying to use it, and I know my computer provides Bluetooth, it's windows 8.1, but I'm missing Bluetooth setting, and none of the solution in online are works for me...

Sajith Bee

this is very much helpful thnx lot

darshan

thank you very much

rohana

solved my prob using regedit method
Thanks lot

kicunghartono

Here is the detailed step by step for doing Method 1 in Windows 7 64 bit

1. Open Control Panel (there is still no Bluetooth)
2. Goto Network Sharing Center
3. Open Change Adapter Setting
4. You will find Bluetooth Network Connection - Right Click on it and select Properties
5. Click on Bluetooth Tab (next to networking)
6. Click Bluetooth Settings link
7. In Bluetooth Settings window and under Options Tab - Check - Show the bluetooth icon in the notification area.
8. Click Apply and OK
9. You are done.

Thanks to Srinivas G

Hassan

Thank you very much. Method 2 solved my problem

Roonie

Thank you so much. Method 1 was easy to follow and worked for me. Solved my 2 day headache as well :)

Shoba

Thanks! Method 1 works!

Nixchamp

Thank You So Much

Roberto Souza

Thanks for your help, but Bluetooth is only activating with Wi-fi off. Is that correct?
Even active, my notebook cannot be found by my cell phone.

arvind

thanks , i got it back

inoke

i did both methods, and no Bluetooth in sight. I believe it has been deleted. But I know for a fact I did not. Either way is ther a way to re install the bluetooth?

bryan

thanks!

Prashant

thanks ..its really working.....

Kenny

@inoke Make sure you don't have your computer on "airplane mode." You can not enable Bluetooth if you are.